Liquid meth found in shipment of bathroom products

This is a joint media release issued by the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force.

A 22-year-old Hong Kong national is scheduled to appear in Central Local Court today (Friday 4 March 2016) charged with attempting to possess close to five litres of liquid methamphetamine.

In February, a consignment of bathroom products arrived at the International Mail Gateway facility in Sydney from China. The consignment, which contained seven toilet brush holders and eight toilet brushes, was examined by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers who detected a number of anomalies. Testing of the liquid inside both the brushes and the brush holders returned a positive result for methamphetamine with a volume of approximately 4.8 litres.

The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

On Thursday 3 March 2016, AFP officers conducted a controlled delivery of the consignment to an address in Eastwood, NSW, where they subsequently arrested a 22-year-old Hong Kong man.

He was charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to subsection 307.5 (1) by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

AFP Manger Crime Operations Paul Osborne said Australia’s law enforcement and border protection agencies would continue to work together to ensure that dangerous drugs were kept off the streets.

“The AFP consistently works with its domestic and international partners to detect and prosecute those who attempt to traffic drugs,” Commander Osborne said.

ABF Regional Commander New South Wales, Tim Fitzgerald said this detection shows the ABF is always on high alert and will continue to make detections like this one to keeps drugs from reaching our streets.

“This detection occurred as a result of the diligence of the ABF officer at the International Mail Centre who selected the package for examination after identifying it as high risk and through a subsequent detailed examination of the toilet brushes and holders discovered what was a complex concealment of more than four litres of liquid methamphetamine,” Commander Fitzgerald said.